Family Ties
by CrazyMuffinAssassin
Summary: Family is important. Family will be there for you when you rise. Family will be there for you when you fall. Family will be there for you against all odds, and you can't live without family. Sequel to Skies Are Blue and All's Fair in Love and War (read those first).


Here it is, the long-awaited next generation story that every series needs. I hope you guys enjoy it. I've been working on these characters for a long time.

Disclaimer: Sonic and Co. belong to SEGA. Sky and every other non-canon, original character belong to me, and me alone.

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><p>"You're feeling all right, aren't you?" Shadow the Hedgehog asks nervously, glancing at his very pregnant silver-and-black mate, who is struggling with a package of marshmallows. She's been wolfing down whatever food she can get her hands on. "Do you need me to get anything for you?"<p>

Skylar the Hedgehog glares at him and then at their three-year-old daughter, who just comes through banging on a pot with a spoon and singing loudly. "You want to help me? Get _her_ out of my house," she grouches, stuffing about four marshmallows into her mouth.

Shadow scoops up the toddler, who drops the pot and spoon and wraps her arms around her father's neck happily, planting a wet kiss on his cheek. The little girl is the happiest Shadow has ever known anyone to be, always smiling and singing. _Alyson_. Shadow had demanded that they name her after the little girl he had helped so long ago, wanting to keep her memory alive. Her fur is a soft white with gray ears that fade into black at the tips. Her eyes are bluish-green, a mixture of her mother's and her biological father's. Where she got her cheerful nature from, nobody knows.

Her biological father is Frost, Sky's former insane best friend. He was infatuated with her, and even pressured her to have sex with him, resulting in Alyson's subsequent birth. Shadow made the decision to never tell the little girl what happened, that her father is actually in prison for destroying her mother's house and actually (no matter how temporary) killing his own mother. Alyson doesn't need to know all of that. As far as she's concerned, Shadow is her father.

"Come on, Aly," Shadow murmurs to the little girl in his arms, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Let's go visit Grandpa."

"Bring me back a bag of caramels. Just caramels," Sky calls to them on their way out. "I love you!" Sky's eight months pregnant. With triplets. Yes, triplets. The pregnancy is taking its toll on Sky's tiny body, and she's made her permanent home in her bed over a month ago, with weekly check-ups from Terry, one of the healers that travelled back in time just to take care of her friend.

Shadow and Sky made the decision to go back to Shadow's time before Alyson was born, figuring that it would be much better to raise their children where it wasn't still covered in ash. Because Tails and Sky perfected the portal technology, it is a lot easier to travel back and forth between the two times, meaning that they could visit Sky's family whenever they want to. Boston and Cloud, Sky's father and Frost's mother, officially moved in together after Frost was incarcerated, so they could keep a better eye on each other. Boston retired from his duties in the army, with Sky's step-father, Thunder, assuming his role. Silver and Blaze still live comfortably at the Palace, having had their first child a year after Alyson was born, a son named Ryder. They visit regularly, often planning play-dates between the two children.

Shadow carries his daughter on his shoulders, holding her ankles to steady her. The child taps on his head with her little hands rhythmically, humming a tuneless song. "Are we gonna get ice cream?" she squeaks sweetly, leaning over to look at Shadow in the eyes.

"On the way back," Shadow promises, eliciting excited clapping from his daughter.

"Yay!" she giggles before lying across his head. "Is Mommy mad at me?"

"Oh, no," Shadow says as they come up to Sonic's door. Because Tails used to live with the Blue Blur, the portal just stays there, in the backyard, since it is too difficult to transport anywhere else. "The babies are just troubling her, that's all." Shadow knocks on the door, and Sonic opens, his own daughter, Breeze, resting on his head between his ears. He and Amy finally mated, ironically hooking up after the double wedding. Breeze was born around the same time as Ryder, and she's the spitting image of her father, blue and all. She lifts her head and smiles at the sight of Shadow and Alyson, who beams upon seeing her.

"Breezy!" she gasps, reaching out to pat the tiny blue hedgehog. Breeze laughs in response.

"Hi, Aly!" she giggles, rapping her hands on her father's head. "You come to play?"

"Can we use the portal?" Shadow mutters to Sonic. "The one at our place is down again, and Sky can't fix it."

"Yeah, totally," Sonic replies cheerfully. "Come on in." Shadow and Alyson follow him in, walking to the back of the house. "So, how is Sky doing?"

"She was a little… stressed out this morning," Shadow tells him. "And I swear she's eating me out of house and home. The boys are really giving her a hard time."

"Is she planning to go in early and have a C-section?" Amy asks, springing out of nowhere. Breeze squeals in excitement, reaching out towards her mother. Amy lifts her child from her mate's head and cuddles her daughter lovingly.

"She's going in next week. The doctor said her body wouldn't be able to handle birthing the three of them on her own," Shadow admits. He and Sonic have gotten significantly closer since Alyson was born, getting over his aversion to Sonic's carefree nature. Since he become a father, the blue hedgehog's done a ton of growing up.

"That sucks," Amy sighs, holding her daughter against her waist. "Have you two decorated already?"

Shadow nods. "She wanted the colors green and blue, for some odd reason, but she was completely turned off of anything dark-colored when she made the decision."

"How did that go for you?" Sonic snorts.

"Let's just say I couldn't be in the same room with her without her vomiting," Shadow growls, brushing past the couple and into their backyard. Shadow puts Alyson on the ground, ignoring her protests, and types in the coordinates for Sky's time, linking this portal with the one at the Palace. When the portal warms up, Shadow takes his daughter's hand and nods to Sonic and Amy. "Later."

After stepping through the portal, the two are greeted by Sky's old partner, Drew, a dark gray echidna with spectacles and a white stomach. "Good afternoon, Shadow! And Aly." He bends down to embrace the tiny hedgehog. "Here to visit Silver?"

"Boston, actually," Shadow corrects him, lifting his daughter back on his shoulders.

Drew nods and allows him to pass without saying anything else. Shadow makes his way out of the Palace-basement and through the front foyer, nodding to the servants as they pass by. Surprisingly, Silver doesn't pop up out of the blue, as he's notorious for doing when Shadow doesn't want to see him. When they reach Boston's house, that's when the silver hedgehog makes his appearance.

"Alyson!" Silver greets his niece cheerfully, taking her from her father's shoulders and hugging her tightly, causing her to giggle. "How is my little snowball?"

"Uncle Silvy!" Alyson nuzzles into his fluffy mane. "I missed you!"

"Missed me? I just saw you on Sunday!" He lowers the girl onto the floor while Shadow takes up his usual seat in the loveseat in the corner. Ryder slides off the couch cushions to join his cousin on the floor. They both rush over to the ancient toy box in the corner, dragging out the wooden building blocks. Boston watches his grandchildren with a smile.

"It's amazing how big they're getting," he purrs happily. "I can't believe that Aly is three already."

"Yeah, it's great," Shadow agrees. He looks around noticing that Cloud isn't there. "Where is Cloud?"

"Oh, she's going to get Aster. Vincent is doing rounds and Faith is training recruits. She's probably going to come back with him any minute now," Boston replies, picking at his harness lazily. He still wears it because it makes him feel as though he still has a purpose, even though he doesn't mount the sword on his back anymore. He glances at the door, as if anticipating his mate's arrival. He turns back to Shadow and smiles again. "How's my daughter? Almost ready?"

"She was a little irritated this morning, but otherwise she's fine. We're going to the hospital next week for the C-Section," Shadow tells him.

"Wow, so soon. I'll have to make sure that Cloud and I get there on time. I wouldn't want to miss it for the world." Boston sighs. "I just can't believe you're having triplets. Who knew she was capable?"

"She probably did it just because you would say stuff like that," Silver teases. "Remember when she was pregnant with Aly? You didn't think she was capable of walking, and she hadn't even gotten big yet."

"I just wanted to make sure she was safe. She's just so small, always has been. I didn't want her to have any unnecessary strain on her body," Boston mutters, his ears drooping. "Both of you are small, actually. You get that from Lorina. Blitz, too."

"How is Blitz anyway?" Shadow asks. The younger hedgehog moved to Crown City to be with Demy, one of the raccoon twins. They mated two years ago, and their first child, Casper, is almost a year old now. Cody went with them, and he and Lash are domestic partners, to everyone's surprise. The four of them run a bakery together.

"He's doing well. He called last week," Boston says. "He told me that he and Demy are going to try to make it with Cas for the birth, but he decided to stay until Casper's birthday, surprisingly."

"When is his birthday, again?" Silver asks.

"In about a month. The fifth of June," Boston replies. The door opens, revealing Cloud. Next to her is a silver echidna with auburn eyes, who huddles behind her legs upon seeing everyone else. He's rather tall for his age, inheriting his leggy physique from his father.

"C'mon, Aster, it's okay," Cloud urges, taking the child's hand and leading him forward. "Look! Ryder and Aly are here. Do you wanna go play?"

Aster steps forward shyly, kneeling down next to the other two children as Cloud perches on the arm of Boston's chair. She touches his central quill lightly and smiles at him, while Boston holds her steady around the waist.

"Get a room, you two," Silver teases, sticking his tongue out. "I still don't get why you two never got married."

"It's not necessary," Boston reminds him. "We're too old for all of that."

"I could ask the priest to perform a simple ceremony," Blaze offers. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled."

Cloud shakes her head. "Thank you, but we prefer things the way they are right now."

Silver checks his watch. "We'd better go. Blaze has to look at the recruits before sunset, and we all know how that goes when Faith is in charge."

"Oh, yes," Boston agrees. "I'll walk you out, son."

Silver scoops up his son, met with shrieks of protest. "C'mon, kiddo. Time to go home."

"I don't wanna, Daddy! I don't wanna!" Ryder cries, beating on his father's back with tiny fists. "I wanna stay here!"

"If you don't stop, you will go to bed without dessert," Silver warns as he carries him out into the foyer. Boston and Blaze follow close behind.

"But, _Daddy_!" Ryder whines before the door closes.

"It still amazes me that you kids are parents now," Cloud sighs, shaking her head. "I remember when Sky was still in diapers, and now she's going to have four kids? Unbelievable."

"Makes you feel old, doesn't it?" Boston rumbles, sitting back down. Aster and Alyson begin building a tower. "Grandchildren."

"I guess it would be different if my boys had children of their own. Flicker is still refusing to settle down. I'm worried about him."

"Don't be. He's still young. He'll find a nice girl to have a family with before you know it," Boston reminds her. "And Frost… well, that's not going to happen."

"I know, I know. But, Flicker is twenty-one now. Soon, he'll be too old for children, and I can't depend on Frost for anything," Cloud mutters half-bitterly. Boston rubs her back soothingly.

"Well, I know Sky thinks of you as her mother," Shadow says. "And you'll always be the kids' grandmother."

Cloud blushes. "Thank you, Shadow."

Alyson scrambles up on her father's lap then, her jaws stretching in a yawn. Shadow can't help but smile at the girl as she curls up. Aster continues playing with the blocks without looking up. "I think it's nap time," Shadow says quietly, standing up and carrying the smaller hedgehog against his hip. Alyson rests her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes. "We'll see you later this week, right?"

"Oh, yes," Cloud answers, giving a smile. "I know Sky needs my help, and I'd be happy to."

"Thank you." Shadow nods at the older hedgehog. Boston follows him out to the front door, while Cloud offers to make Aster a sandwich.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Boston says. "Send a runner over if anything happens."

"I will," Shadow promises. Boston nods and closes the door behind him. Shadow takes Alyson back home, stopping at the corner store to pick up Sky's bag of caramels. When he reaches home, he puts Alyson in her room before heading to his bedroom. His mate is still lying in bed, the blankets strewn on the floor. She peers over her mountainous belly at Shadow, her eyes softening at the sight of him and the candy.

"You actually got them?" she purrs, reaching up to hug him around the neck as he bends to give her a peck on the cheek.

"Of course. That's what you wanted." Shadow climbs into bed with her, placing a hand on her belly and nuzzling into her neck. One of the babies kicks his hand, eliciting a moan from Sky.

"I swear, I'm as good as tenderized meat with these three," she sighs as Shadow traces a gentle circle on her stomach. "I have bruises on this side from one of them." She points to the left side. Shadow begins rubbing her fur in an attempt to soothe her pain. Sky sighs again and closes her eyes. "That's nice…"

Shadow leans over and kisses her stomach. "C'mon, guys, you'll be out soon, don't worry. Stop giving your mother such a hard time," he murmurs, resting his head against her. The baby on that side shifts, pressing his foot against Shadow's cheek. Sky makes a small noise.

"They really like you," she mutters. "They get really excited when you're around."

"Nah, they just like it when you're nice," Shadow teases, pressing his lips against hers. "They just want you to know that they approve."

"Yeah, sure," Sky mutters. She glances at Shadow's chest before looking back up at him. "Can I?" she asks sweetly.

Shadow rolls his eyes. "Of course. But, only for a few minutes. You're not as light as you used to be. I'm afraid you'll suffocate me."

Sky doesn't respond, but shifts so she can rest her cheek against her husband's fluffy chest fur. Shadow drapes an arm over her shoulders, resting his chin on the top of her head and breathing deeply. He never would've thought he would live a domestic life, let alone have children. But now, with his family, he's truly happy.

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><p>Leave a review! Muffin out!<p> 


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